From Pura Vida to Product Demos: What It’s Like Going from DTC to B2B Social
Featuring Samantha Paul, Social Media Manager at Seismic
“What I’ve realized — and this is one of the most important things for working in B2B social — is that if I don't understand the content in a very snackable and easy way, there's no way that my audience is going to understand it.”1
Hi everyone! Welcome to the second edition of Handling It, a newsletter not just for social media managers, but all about them.
Today’s interview features Samantha Paul, Social Media Manager at Seismic, the global leader in enablement software, where Sam and I met while working together on the social team.
Prior to Seismic, Sam ran social for a handful of high-profile direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands, including Pura Vida and Pair of Thieves, and worked behind the scenes curating content on multiple projects at Meta.
As someone who’s also worked in both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) social, I love this conversation. We dive into how she made the jump into the tech space, what surprised her most about the shift, and how creativity and relatability are still possible in the world of software-as-a-service.
Key:
B2B: A business that sells its products/services to other businesses.
B2C: A business that sells its products/services to consumers.
DTC: A subset of B2C where a business sells its products/services directly to consumers, bypassing third-party retailers and distributors.
Name: Samantha Paul
Handle: @seismicsoftware
Residence: San Diego, CA
Office requirement: Remote (1-2 travel requirements per year)
Can you share a quick lay of the land: What’s your current role, how long have you been there, where does social sit, and is anyone else dedicated to social at Seismic?
I’m the Social Media Manager, and I’ve been there one year and 11 months next week! Social sits on the communications team under the Director of Global Communications, and no one else is dedicated to organic social. We do have someone dedicated to paid social, but I don’t work on the same team as them.
How did you land the role?
I had a lot of varied industry experience, primarily in the direct-to-consumer space, but I had just started at Meta, focusing on content curation. That was my first little step into tech. I was able to leverage, in total transparency, the weight of that name — even though I was only there for a short amount of time — to show the hiring managers that I was capable of applying my prior knowledge in a new way.
I wasn't looking for a new role at the time, but I had a couple of friends who had worked at Seismic for several years, and they always talked about the benefits and the culture. When the role popped up, I knew that it was probably my only opportunity to work there. I thought I would take a chance, and ultimately, I was referred and got the role.
What was the transition like, managing social in DTC and then moving over to B2B? Was there anything that surprised you?
Yes! I think what surprised me is how similar the skeleton of a strategy is across DTC versus B2B. You're building an editorial calendar that's dynamic, and that doesn't change across industries.
What changes are those key tentpole moments. What used to be a collection of photographed jewelry items that I would build my strategy around is now a hype video and blog content surrounding a product launch. And what used to be a trip to Coachella with a bunch of influencers is now a customer conference. So the skeletons or basic strategies are very much the same, but the complexities of the subject matter are different.
Learning how to work cross-functionally with people who do not speak the language of social has been the biggest transition for me. There's just so much more jargon in tech.
Also, the pacing is different. I’m posting less than I was in DTC because the company is smaller, and the number of product releases is lower. Because of that, I'm able to be a lot more thorough and intentional with each piece of content. But that also means that each piece of content matters that much more, so there's a pressure difference, too.
And you have to really know what you're talking about, because everyone in your audience knows the subject matter well.
That's a really good point. When you create jewelry content, you can know and love the product as much as your biggest fan, but when you're posting about a really complex SaaS product…
Yes! Especially one you hadn’t used prior…
Right, there’s a steep learning curve. How do you gain that expertise, or find it, in order to post authentically?
What I’ve realized — and this is one of the most important things for working in B2B social — is that if I don't understand the content in a very snackable and easy way, there's no way that my audience is going to understand it. So I bridge the gap by learning as much as I need to know to distill something down into very digestible content.
I think trusting the source material, like reading our blog and our full product releases, asking questions when I don't know something, and admitting when I don't know something, has been super helpful because I came into this role not even knowing what sales enablement really was.
So, I ask questions, but also accept that I'm never going to fully be an expert in Seismic because I'm not a product expert. But I try to get as close as I can.
What’s your process for creating assets?
If we're creating a bespoke graphic, I work with our design team. Typically, I’m not creating content myself. Sometimes I’ll use Canva, but it's rare. Same with video. I sometimes create content and edit it myself, but because we have an in-house videographer, I rely on him heavily.
But there are exceptions! If we have an on-site customer conference or employee conference, that's where I approach integration in a completely different way, because we're all in-person together. In that situation, I'm filming behind-the-scenes content, social series, and collaborating with external agencies like photographers or video agencies, to bring content ideas to life in a way that we just can't do on a week-over-week or month-over-month basis.
Do you feel like that’s an area where having a strong background in DTC helps? To be able to live-capture video and produce engaging content quickly?
100%. If I didn’t have the experience of shooting photo shoots and events from my DTC era, it would be a much more difficult and probably much more intimidating prospect, especially when you’re walking into a room full of high-level executives. It can be intimidating! But I think my experience working with direct-to-consumer and physical products helps me to think from the audience's perspective in a different way.
You definitely bring a visually appealing quality to Seismic’s social aesthetic, which isn't always the case in B2B.
Thank you!
Is there a post, campaign, or milestone you're particularly proud of?
Yes, it's something that we collaborated on last year: the Fall 2024 Product Release reel. It was very new. Seismic had never done anything like it before. It opened people's eyes to the difference between short-form video content and a heavily produced piece of video content, and how they function in the social media ecosystem.
And then this year, I've gotten to work on and own a Meet the Team Series where I worked with an outside photographer and had them capture as many employees as possible at our recent employee event. I wanted to humanize the brand a little bit more, so I've been really excited about that, too. It’s not designed at all — it's just a photo series — and it feels a lot more like what the big tech companies do.
What's something that other people wouldn't expect about your job?
The amount of copy that I write. People, even in my day-to-day, don't expect that I'm writing the copy for every post.
Also, people wouldn't expect the amount of strategy that goes into every single post. I'm not posting just to have something go live — it has to circle back to our goals that ladder up to the company's OKRs. Even if it's on a small scale or the perception of a small scale, it still matters.
What do you find the biggest challenge of this job to be?
Building the confidence to gate-keep my calendar. I know that I'm an expert in social media, but determining which requests are priority and which are not as high-priority took some time. So that was the biggest challenge: making sure that you're nurturing stakeholder relationships without sacrificing the integrity of your calendar and of your content.
Do you find that to be harder in B2B than it was in DTC, having autonomy over your calendar?
No, DTC is harder, in my opinion. As you know, when you're a social media manager, everyone has an opinion on your work, and everyone sees your work. It's one of the most visible roles in the company. In my past experience, it's easier for decision-makers to imagine applying an idea from another DTC business to a jewelry brand than it is to see something that Microsoft puts out and think it’s doable for Seismic’s accounts. I think there's a more general awareness of the budget for something like that. People in B2B are more realistic about resources.
What’s your favorite part of working in social?
To be honest, a few years ago, I reached a point of disillusionment and was not super into the idea of continuing to work in social media. Now, I've gotten over the hump. I've recognized that social media is consistently evolving, and there are so many facets that you can specialize in. Exploring each of those areas is my favorite part of the job.
It's never the same. Each day is different. If I want to focus on strategy, reporting, and analytics one day, I can do that. If I want to focus on content creation and playing and getting my hands dirty one day, I can do that. And I get to spend a lot of time on social media, which I love. Some may call it an addiction, but I call it, you know, necessary for work (laughs).
Do you like that the job encompasses a variety of skills, or do you wish or hope in the future that you can specialize in one area?
I would like to specialize in strategy in the future. But what I've seen, having been in social for the last eight years, is that companies are still maturing their programs. Because of that, there aren’t always teams with multiple roles, with the need for a dedicated social strategist. A lot of companies are still looking for someone who can do it all. But ideally, yes, I would love to work on a larger team where my role focuses primarily on campaign ideation and strategy. But I don't think I'll ever fully give up content creation, even if it's just something I do on the side or in my own time, because I do love it.
Do you feel like social media managers should be personally active on social?
I see a lot of conversation around social media managers not having good social media on their personal accounts, and of course, do whatever you want to do. But I feel like, if you really, really love it, you will be testing on your own platforms, and that is a hot take. I don't think you have to, but for me, I like to test and understand the platforms as a creator myself, specifically with Instagram and TikTok. Because we're not heavily invested in those platforms, I like to maintain my skillset in that way. I find that I am creatively energized by doing that, and it makes me better at my job to remain skilled at it.
I genuinely love that you get re-energized by spending more time on social media!
Yes, but I don't judge others. I know a lot of people are adverse to having their private lives out there. I personally like it because there are so many perks! I get to go to free meals and work with brands, which helps me understand the creator-brand relationship in a different way, versus just working brand-side. I like it! I'm way too addicted to social media (laughs).
You’re definitely in the right role! What are the perks of working in tech?
The flexibility. The benefits are also really good, which is what really drew me to tech. The pay is good — better than what I saw in direct-to-consumer.
Do you see yourself staying in social media long term?
I do! I didn't feel that way a while ago, but now, I really want to ride it out. I think that with AI coming in and making advancements to all of the different platforms, and sort of challenging the safety of many jobs, the importance of a social media manager with a human perspective and a human touch will become more and more sought after over the next 10 years. As humans we have pattern recognition, and we can tell when something's written by ChatGPT or created by AI, and it just doesn't feel as authentic. So, I would like to see how things go over the next 10 years before saying I would leave social media.
Great point. In my experience, that “human touch” has always made for a winning strategy on social, and I think that’s only going to become more true.
Agreed!
What advice would you give someone who wants to work in tech social?
Network, and network without expectation. It took years for me to break into tech social, but it took knowing the right people and being lucky at the right time. So network, and that can look like coffee chats and conversations with people who have roles that you're interested in, attending events, and engaging with creators that are doing what you want to be doing. That would be my best piece of advice, and also be prepared when the opportunity comes. I prep an intense amount — I write out every question and research every person.
If you could run social for any brand (besides Seismic), which would you pick?
Pinterest. I'm Pinterest's biggest fan. Another one I think would be really, really fun to run would be EF Tours. They're a travel company that does tours for students and young adults. I went on one when I was young, so I think that would be really interesting because you get to travel. Finally, I would love to go back to direct-to-consumer and work in beauty for a brand like Merit Beauty. Those are my three!
Love it! Finally, where can people connect with you?
They can connect with me on my personal accounts on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok!
Thanks again to Sam for her nuanced, candid, and occasionally piping hot takes on breaking into the tech world, protecting your content calendar, being active on your personal channels, and so. much. more.
Her experience is a great reminder that transitioning industries is not only possible but also beneficial to brands looking for strategists and content creators to help them stand out from the noise in their own markets.
If you don’t follow Seismic already, you can follow Sam’s work here:
LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube
Next month, I’ll be chatting with Megan Bowen, a social media manager and consultant, to get the scoop on what it’s like to build a successful freelance career in this field. To receive future posts directly to your inbox, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Thanks for reading Handling It, and have a great day. ☀️
I use a lot of em dashes in this one. No, AI did not write this :)